Still far from complete! I honestly don’t know if I will be going back to any of these portraits in progress! If too many days pass I tend to start a new one. I should probably stop buying new canvases and try to finish a couple!

Meanwhile as we find ourselves in this bizarre and frightening timeline with ignorant white supremacist loons and their Russian puppetmasters trying to break democracy, I feel it’s important to clearly state one’s objections to this repulsive and frankly horrific state of affairs.

Pretty happy with this one so far! I think I am going to leave it for now, but it may reappear on these very pages in the coming weeks.

Here is proof you can make a decent nose and mouth and eyes if you practice. Which I am trying to do more aaaaaaaah. Have to fix the nose on the right side, decide how to finish the shoulders, and eventually eyelashes. And tone down the pink cheeks a bit. But on to the next one for now!

16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress 1, portrait on green

16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress 2, portrait on green

This is definitely one of my better sketches underneath, and improved the process quite a bit. Obvious, right? I have been watching more videos. I linked some over here! The green background was done the day before and let dry.

So this one is at a point where I may decide to move on to the next one. But that is probably a mistake! This is definitely not *done* but maybe it will never be. Or is that a terrible precedent?! I don’t know. Any insight appreciated.

Anyway, I think I will give this one some more time. I will post an update next week!

There will probably be a new one as well. REALLY trying to paint 5-6 days a week. Progress pics below. See how the mouth was crooked to start? On the other hand, it looked a bit like she was deliberately sort of pursing her lips. But I straightened it and it still needs some fixing up.

After painting every day the first 30 days of the year, I was waylaid by a (small) separate art obligation and then February happened. But now we’re in March. (HOLY COW IT’S MARCH) I am switching from animals to people.

12′ x 16″ acrylics in progress, March 6-8, 2018

I’ve been watching a lot of portrait painting videos. Some acrylic, some oils. The oil painters often do an underpainting in acrylics. I think about adding oils from time to time, but for now I’m going to stick with acrylics until I feel comfortable with them rather than add more complications! (I will add links to some of my favorite portrait painting videos next time.)

And here is the 12″ x 16″ hound dog in acrylics which was the last painting at the end of January.

12″ x 16″ Hound Dog in progress, Jan 26-28, 2018

As I wrote on Facebook: As a side note, many days I feel I cannot post things without acknowledging the absolutely grotesque political environment in this country. I hope we are all trying to help in small ways, however we can. But I can’t be a painter if I don’t learn how to paint. So I’m going to keep doing that. Be kind to each other!

Well I do think this young panda is quite cute. Someone suggested it looks like a finished painting. When I stopped I did not think it was finished because I keep seeing things to fix. But it IS the most finished painting in these first 24 days of acrylic painting.

Jan 25, 2016, 12″ x 16″ acrylics in progress, hound dog

I started this hound after watching this Lachri Fine Art video about painting in a looser style. These early underpainting stages look terrible! She says the early stages always look like she painted them with her feet. On the other hand, they are *slightly* less terrible than earlier this month. :)

As a side note, if I could just add this comment to the universe: Please send Mr. Mueller and his team some extra strength and fortitude to face what’s coming. A dying animal is most dangerous.

Some of these are terrible! None of them are finished. Some may never be finished, but that’s ok. Really!

January 1, 2018 12″ x 16″ acrylics, progress.

Jan 1. I started this first one on a background I did back in August. Which is just the most recent time (before this one!) that I decided i was really going to do painting for reals.

Jan 2, 2018 12″ x 16″ acrylics, progress. This is where I started and ended today

Jan 2. Started this one today with the left image completed. Also from last August! Anyway, I worked on it for a couple hours and ended up with the slightly fluffier, still far from complete, right side image.

Jan 3, 2018 16″ x 20″ acrylics, progress.

Jan 3. 16″ x 20″ is big! Though I’d like to do bigger. This one started with the blue background previously completed, you’ll never guess when! Last August.

January 4, 2018 9″ x 12″ acrylics, progress.

Jan 4. Terrible! Holy cow. I think the nose has some promise but otherwise pretty bad. Started this one on a white canvas. Painted a quick blue ground. Might try to rescue or might paint over. Going to need lots of canvas, after all.

Jan 5. Not too thrilled with this one either, after 3ish hours. We’ll have to see if I give this one another go. Either way, I think tomorrow it’s back to dogs. The fifth day was rough. My brain was telling me I could take a day off. But no. Nooooooo. Not giving up today. :)

Thanks so much for stopping in! If you leave a comment include your site so I can visit back.

Not that anyone asked, but I have not accepted any pet portrait commissions. For one thing, approximately a kajillion excellent artists are already doing those! Also, portraits are stressful.

Sharpie on Canvas Shoes, December 2017, Colorful Doodlin’

Sharpie Shoes, Dec 2017, 1 0f 3, www.theslumberingherd.com

Sharpie Shoes, Dec 2017, 2 0f 3, www.theslumberingherd.com

Sharpie Shoes, Dec 2017, 3 0f 3, www.theslumberingherd.com

My First Sharpie Shoes Ever, Stats:

Hours to complete: approx 15 (with Miss Marple or The Great British Baking Show reruns in the background).

Method: None! Just doodled. Drew some shapes. Colored stuff in. More shapes, more coloring. Most areas required multiple layers. It went quicker on the second shoe because I had a better idea what I wanted.

Reception: Quite nice. People are telling me to sell these. Probably not, though. Would have to charge… hmmm. Quite a lot. :D

p.s. Thank you Metafilter for the push to get back to my blog! Admittedly, a variety things probably need updating around here. Categories and tags, for instance. I don’t even. But we’ll see how it goes!

Here are some of the excellent items currently up for grabs in the second annual Art Into A(u)ction, started by the stellar Ann D’Angelo with a tiny bit of assistance from me. Many artists have contributed artwork to benefit the amazing and tireless ACLU – a stalwart defender of our constitutional freedoms.

I’m Down with RBG (5.25×5.25) and Todd V. Rochester Community Schools (5×7) by Ann D’Angelo, and Soul of Liberty (12×12) by Ginger Danz

This is just a fraction of the 40 items (with the possibility of more added during the week). I put several of the word art pieces from my last post in the auction as well, and there are loads more things. You could take a look if you like! No obligation!

Hello visitors! First, this is primarily an art blog and not a political blog. Though frankly I wish the fundamental values of kindness, inclusion and rejection of hate were not political. Others don’t agree, including those who have recently gained power. So, humankind is experiencing a kind of setback. I suppose it may have been inevitable for the pendulum to swing so violently right after our excellent if imperfect Black president. Anyway, here we are.

I have been continuing to practice – most recently word art with ink and Copic markers. I hope to make the jump to painting this month. I’ll let you know how it goes!

It’s been quite some time since my last post. It was a sad one. About my dog. But, I have continued drawing most every day, so here are some of my faves since my last post which was holy cow! August 21st. I do not know where the time goes! And I do not like it going!

That Time Scorpius Lost the Halloween Wager, 6″ x 8″ progress shots

Here is Scorpius, a baddie from the show Farscape who most certainly does NOT normally wear a bunny hat, made for AnnD for a Halloween secret swap! The four atcs below are from the same pack of swag!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I shall make no promises about forthcoming posts because I will post when I can. I do post recent art more frequently on my facebook art page. Hello and thank you to Paint Party Friday!